1. Field of the Description
The present description relates, in general, to providing amusement park rides that provide high throughput or daily capacities with added thrill and unpredictability. More particularly, the present description relates to a ride system (or ride, ride apparatus, or the like) using the concept of an omnimover ride system in which two or more synchronized chains of vehicles or set pieces have crossing paths so as to provide unexpected close calls and to also provide coordinated movements between vehicles and between vehicles and set pieces.
2. Relevant Background
Amusement and theme parks continue to be popular worldwide with hundreds of millions of people visiting the parks each year. Historically, park operators provided walk-through attractions that presented artwork, music/soundtracks, and special effects with museum, haunted house, movie and book-based, other themes. These attractions were popular with many visitors of the parks, but park operators had difficulty increasing the daily capacity of such attractions because many visitors or attraction participants would linger in various portions of the attraction or even reverse direction in an attempt to visit prior portions of the attraction. As a result, walk-through attractions have generally been replaced by attractions in which the visitors (or passengers) ride in vehicles along a track or path through the attraction.
With the goal of higher ride or attraction capacity in mind, an omnimover is a ride system that has been developed to provide an experience that is similar to a walk-through experience or ride-through tour as it moves guests at speeds similar to walking speed such as less than about 2 feet per second. The omnimover is a ride system used for theme park attractions such as haunted houses or movie-based theme attractions in which two, three, or more passengers sit in a vehicle that is towed or moved along a track. The omnimover ride system includes a large number of such vehicles that are each attached or linked into a continuous loop or chain. The vehicle chain moves along a track, and the track is typically hidden beneath a floor. The vehicles ride on wheels or bogies mating with a track or pair of rails. Additional cam or control rails may be provided to control individual rotation or swivel of the vehicles to orient the passengers toward various show features (e.g., turn a vehicle to the left or right to cause the passengers to view a show or entertainment feature of the ride) and/or to keep the vehicles level as the track ascends or descends on sloped portions of the attraction. These motions may also be achieved with electric motors.
The chain of vehicles is kept in continuous and predictable motion, typically at a constant speed, throughout the entire course of the attraction. High throughput or increased daily capacity is achieved because the vehicle chain continues to move throughout the day, with riders loading and unloading while the vehicles are in motion. Standard loading and unloading occur with a next set of passengers standing on a loading belt, which is moving at about the chain/vehicle speed, entering adjacent vehicles and, at a different location or station, passengers in vehicles exiting their moving vehicle onto an adjacent unloading belt, which is also moving at about the speed of the chain/vehicle.
The omnimover ride system continues to provide a popular platform for rides in many amusement parks as the omnimover ride system effectively delivers high capacity with a simple mechanical drive and control system. One consideration, though, with the use of omnimover ride systems is that due to the constant speed and limited vehicle movements the ride experience is relatively predictable and provides a similar experience regardless of the show. Hence, there remains a need for a ride system that provides the high capacity or passenger throughput of a conventional omnimover ride but that also provides a new, unique, fun, exciting, and unpredictable ride experience. Preferably, such a ride system would increase immersion into the ride experience and enhance variability while preserving the benefits of conventional omnimover rides.